Move discipleship from a value to a reality.
Most churches have sermons, small groups, and programs. But are they actually making disciples?
Every church says discipleship matters. Fewer can describe how a person actually grows from attending church to following Jesus, and then helping someone else do the same.
That’s what the Discipleship Lab is for. Six weeks alongside seven other pastors, taking an honest look at what your church does now and building a pathway you can actually run.
Not another program. A clear path that makes disciples.
- Starts
- February 1
- Calls
- 3 Thursdays, 2pm PT
- Group
- 8 pastors
Discipleship is easy to value and hard to build.
- You have plenty of programs, but no shared picture of what a disciple looks like.
- People attend for years without anyone walking alongside them.
- Groups are healthy for some people and invisible to others.
- You can’t say for sure whether people are actually growing.
Five things you'll keep using.
Everything you build in the lab is yours, shaped around your church, your people, and the way you lead.
A clear picture of a disciple
A short, shared description of what you’re helping people become, in words your church can remember.
An honest map of what you have now
Every sermon, group, class, and program, sorted by whether it actually moves people forward.
A discipleship pathway
The next steps from attending church to following Jesus to making disciples, and what each step asks of people.
A plan for raising up leaders
How you’ll find and equip the people who walk alongside others, so discipleship doesn’t all depend on staff.
A way to know it’s working
A few simple measures to see whether people are actually growing, not just showing up.
How the three calls work.
Each call is on Zoom, Thursdays at 2pm Pacific. Between calls, you try it in your own church.
- Call 1 · Feb 4
Define Reality
Discover what’s helping and hurting discipleship in your church.
We’ll look at what you offer now, how people actually grow, and where they tend to get stuck.
- Call 2 · Feb 18
Design the Future
Build a pathway that fits your church.
Define what a disciple looks like, map the next steps, and decide what to add, change, or stop.
- Call 3 · Mar 4
Put It to Work
Start running it.
Bring your pathway and first steps. We’ll work through what’s working, what isn’t, and how to lead your people through the change.
- After Easter
New Reality
Evaluate your progress. Keep getting better.
We’ll reconnect after Easter to see what’s changed, identify what’s working, and refine the pathway for the months ahead.
Good questions to ask.
How long is each call?
About 90 minutes. Calls are on Zoom, Thursdays at 2pm Pacific. If that time doesn’t work for you, join the waitlist and tell us what would.
How much time will it take between calls?
Plan on an hour or two a week. Most of it is work you’re already doing, like preparing a sermon, done a better way.
What if I miss a call?
Plan to be on all three. Calls aren’t recorded, so everyone can speak honestly. If something comes up, Josh will catch you up before the next call.
Start building it before Easter.
The lab runs February 1 to March 14, with calls on February 4, February 18, and March 4. Eight seats. Enrollment closes January 18.